St. John's University Athletics
POSTGAME QUOTES: ST. JOHN’S AT CREIGHTON
St. John’s Men’s Basketball Head Coach Rick Pitino, sophomore guard Lefteris Liotopolous and junior guard Dylan Darling spoke to the media after defeating Creighton, 90-73, at CenturyLink Center on Saturday.
Head Coach Rick Pitino
Opening statement…
“[Lefteris Liotopolous] knows how much confidence I have in him and he’s playing great right now. Dylan [Darling] didn’t play a minute [against Butler] and in today’s generation the chances of a player sulking are pretty high. Instead, he came to my office and said, ‘I didn’t deserve to play the way I’ve been playing.’ I told him he had to get back to being a junkyard dog and he did it tonight. It just shows you the attitude and character we’ve put together on this basketball team. These two guys are indicative of what a team is all about, and I’m real proud of them.”
On the team’s response after the Providence loss…
“There was no panic with us. I told them I’m not unhappy with one person on this basketball team. You’re great guys, you practice hard, you play hard. You made some bad plays defensively down the stretch and it cost us the game, so we learn and move on. I never wavered one bit.”
On the team’s belief to win on the road…
“When you’ve got great guys that work hard with a great attitude, never sulk, never complain, I never wavered. I told them if you can win on the road, that tells you who you are.”
On Lefteris Liotopolous’ shooting confidence…
“Every time he shoots it, I feel like it’s going in. He gets it off quicker than anybody and he’s also getting better at driving the basketball.”
On Dylan Darling’s impact…
“When Dylan Darling is on the floor, without question we play our best basketball. He gives us another guy who can push the pace, and pace is very important to this team.”
Sophomore guard Lefteris Liotopolous
On his increased role and offensive confidence…
“Coach [Pitino] trusts me more and more, and I’m putting the work in during practice. Offensively, my teammates trust me, and I’m taking a lot of shots.”
On lessons from last season and experience…
“I was here last year when we lost [at Creighton] by one. All the experience I got from last year comes through when I’m on the court.”
On the team’s mindset after the Providence loss…
“After the loss we gathered together and said, ‘we’re not going to lose anymore.’ We were great in practice, aggressive with a lot of energy and that translated on the court.”
Junior guard Dylan Darling
On responding to not playing and earning minutes back…
“There’s no time to sulk or complain about it. I wasn’t productive at all in the Providence game and I understood why I didn’t play. I tried to come back in practice, get better, be aggressive and just stay ready.”
On the team’s urgency after the loss…
“It wasn’t how we envisioned starting, but it brought a sense of urgency. We knew the problems we had and needed to address them quickly, and I think these last two games we’ve been really good defensively and really communicating.”
Opening statement…
“[Lefteris Liotopolous] knows how much confidence I have in him and he’s playing great right now. Dylan [Darling] didn’t play a minute [against Butler] and in today’s generation the chances of a player sulking are pretty high. Instead, he came to my office and said, ‘I didn’t deserve to play the way I’ve been playing.’ I told him he had to get back to being a junkyard dog and he did it tonight. It just shows you the attitude and character we’ve put together on this basketball team. These two guys are indicative of what a team is all about, and I’m real proud of them.”
On the team’s response after the Providence loss…
“There was no panic with us. I told them I’m not unhappy with one person on this basketball team. You’re great guys, you practice hard, you play hard. You made some bad plays defensively down the stretch and it cost us the game, so we learn and move on. I never wavered one bit.”
On the team’s belief to win on the road…
“When you’ve got great guys that work hard with a great attitude, never sulk, never complain, I never wavered. I told them if you can win on the road, that tells you who you are.”
On Lefteris Liotopolous’ shooting confidence…
“Every time he shoots it, I feel like it’s going in. He gets it off quicker than anybody and he’s also getting better at driving the basketball.”
On Dylan Darling’s impact…
“When Dylan Darling is on the floor, without question we play our best basketball. He gives us another guy who can push the pace, and pace is very important to this team.”
Sophomore guard Lefteris Liotopolous
On his increased role and offensive confidence…
“Coach [Pitino] trusts me more and more, and I’m putting the work in during practice. Offensively, my teammates trust me, and I’m taking a lot of shots.”
On lessons from last season and experience…
“I was here last year when we lost [at Creighton] by one. All the experience I got from last year comes through when I’m on the court.”
On the team’s mindset after the Providence loss…
“After the loss we gathered together and said, ‘we’re not going to lose anymore.’ We were great in practice, aggressive with a lot of energy and that translated on the court.”
Junior guard Dylan Darling
On responding to not playing and earning minutes back…
“There’s no time to sulk or complain about it. I wasn’t productive at all in the Providence game and I understood why I didn’t play. I tried to come back in practice, get better, be aggressive and just stay ready.”
On the team’s urgency after the loss…
“It wasn’t how we envisioned starting, but it brought a sense of urgency. We knew the problems we had and needed to address them quickly, and I think these last two games we’ve been really good defensively and really communicating.”